Summertime Sadness
by lukehsenpai
Summary: Clementine moved in from Macon after going through a hard time. She meets Luke, a quiet but popular boy in the school and wishes to be friends with him. However, Luke is a shy guy and a hopeless romantic when it comes to girls but what happens when they find each other's company comforting? In this story, they are both 15 years old.
1. Chapter 1

**First off, thank you for giving this fanfiction a chance. I was inspired by Pikacheek's story entitled Teenage Dream, so this story won't involve any walkers but there will be some references to the game itself! I live in Singapore where our education system is different. Secondary school is somewhat like elementary school, and junior college/polytechnic is like high school, and then there's university! In this story, everyone is in Secondary 3, which makes them 15 years old. We have prom in Secondary 4 before we take our national exams, so there will be a prom chapter in the later part! I hope you have a rough idea of the education system because in this story, I won't be using America's system, instead I will refer to my country's system as it will be simpler for me! However, they live in America still. Once this reaches 5 reviews, I'll update a chapter 2! :) Oh, and in Singapore, we have 4 breaks throughout the year, summing up to a total of 3 months.**

"Luke, look," Nick gestured to his best friend, Luke. He pointed to a cute yet somewhat fierce-looking girl standing by the school's entrance. She looked lost as to where to go. Groups of teenagers walked past her, giggling at the way she dressed. She was wearing a baseball cap, a long-sleeved purple shirt and jeans. It was rather casual compared to the other girls in Middleton Secondary School. Normally, a girl would dress in a knee-length (or shorter) skirt and a cute top to go with. Instead, the new girl, or at least Luke thought she was, had a look of a tomboy's, and somehow Luke thought she looked cool. He wanted to walk up to her and spark a conversation, but he knew everyone would make a fuss out of it since he was the most popular football player in the school and rejected every single admirer and barely talked to girls. Not only was he unbelievably hot, he was so handsome that guys even got jealous of not having his looks.

"Luke!" Nick nudged him. Luke snapped back to reality.

"Oh, yeah, well, let's get to class. We're gonna be late if we don't start moving our asses." Luke trudged to the school's entrance, leaving Nick behind. Nick quickly caught up with him, who was walking really fast now. Luke suddenly didn't want to get anywhere near the new girl, so he and Nick increased speed and zoomed past her. She forced a smile at them and tried to put on a brave front on her first day of school, but even though Luke noticed, he shut his eyes and headed to class, and resisted himself from talking to her though he really wanted to.

"Good morning, class." Mr Omid greeted, and the class greeted him back. "Welcome back to school! How was your June holidays break? I hoped you all haven't gotten yourselves into trouble. I have some exciting news for you."

"What? That we have a Science project to kick start the week? Amazing." Nick muttered.

"No, Nick. But I'll consider that." The class groaned. "Anyone else wanna make a guess?"

"I hope there's some new hot girls coming in." Nate whispered to Russell.

Mr Omid overheard him and announced to the class, "Nate wishes for new hot students. Well, he's not exactly wrong." Nate perks up, his eyes lighting up. The class noticed his reaction and started to tease him. Mr Omid signaled for them to keep quiet. "We have a new student in class, she just moved in here from Macon. She's supposed to be here soon, but I guess she got lost..."

Luke, who was previously chewing his fingernails, looked up. His eyes scanned for the girl he saw earlier, and when he didn't spot her, he was relieved. He didn't know why, but he just didn't want to be friends with her. Yes, he did thought she was cute and cool, but he didn't want to communicate with girls. He felt weird around girls and didn't really know how to express himself. He would stumble over his words and say things he didn't mean. That was the top reason he didn't want a girlfriend, he was afraid of making a mess of himself all the time.

Luke was drowned in his thoughts when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." Mr Omid said, opening the door. "Ah, there she is! Meet Clementine!"

Clementine walked in, with her hands behind her back. She wore a grin on her face, and she seemed happier than before. When she saw Luke, her eyes lit up, and she smiled even wider.

Luke didn't really know what to feel then.


	2. Chapter 2

"Clementine, please introduce yourself," said Mr Omid with an inviting smile.

Luke sat up straight a little. Although he had no intention of being friends with her, the least he could do to get to know her was listen to her introduction. So he did, and tried to look uninterested, chewing his nails and ruffling his hair.

"Hi, I'm Clementine." She squeaked. She was about to continue when she was rudely interrupted by a deep voice.

"Clementine, like the fruit? I really hate it. It smells terrible, just like how you are stinking the classroom right now."

Nick, who hated the class bully as much as the rest of his classmates did, turned around and shot back, "Carver, could you please shut your mouth and give a little respect to the new girl? You can get out or jump down for all I care as long as you get your big mouth zipped."

Carver scrunched up his nose and shot a death glare at Nick, but Nick barely cared. The class was now giving him hi-fives for 'burning' him. Luke, for some reason that he didn't know, got jealous and felt that he could have done something like what Nick did, not for the attention but purely for the purpose of helping the poor girl on her first day of school. He hated Carver, and he didn't want Clementine to be treated like this. He and Carver were enemies, since he was the chairman of football but Carver wasn't. He had the urge to speak up, but he was afraid of making a mess out of himself, so he just kept silent and chewed his nails again.

"As I was saying, I'm Clementine. I grew up in Macon, and I just moved to California because of-"

Her throat suddenly hurt. She couldn't find the words to say. She wanted to talk about her parents, and how she had to move here because of them... because they were dead. But she didn't want to be taken to the past again. She just wanted to start a new life and pretend nothing's happened. She was fine. She was fine. At least, that's what she thought she is. Hopefully. She held back her tears and spoke again.

"I am an ice hockey player back in Macon, and the reason I joined this school and not others because of the amazing team here. I plan to join ice hockey and be a part of the school team. Back in Macon, I learnt how to defend myself and my parents would take me to the shooting range, and we would learn how to shoot. I had, I mean have, an amazing life and I hope life here would be as amazing back in Macon."

Mr Omid smiled and thanked Clementine for her time. The class gave her warm welcome and shook her hand as she walked to find an empty seat... which was beside Nick. Luke locked his eyes onto Clementine the entire time, hoping that she would sit behind him although the table was dusty and full of gums underneath. But she didn't.

"Hi, may I sit here?" Clementine asked Nick, who was resting his head on the table. Nick shot up, and forced a smile. He patted the chair and invited her to sit, who thanked him profusely. Nick, being the friendly guy he is, tried to spark a conversation after a few awkward moments.

"Hey, so... you got anyone to sit with during lunch?"

Clementine shook her head.

"You can sit with me if you want... we have about 4-5 people sitting at the table. There's one girl, her name is Sarah and she's quite quiet in the group so you can be friends with her. Another one is Luke, you know the guy with shaggy brown hair and keeps chewing his nails? That's him. I can take you around and maybe get you familiar with the school if you like."

Clementine was grateful that someone was already trying to be her friend. _Maybe it's not that bad here. Maybe Lee is right!_ She grinned and agreed to his offer, "Sounds good! Thank you. What's your name?"

"Nick."

 _Nick, the first friend I made._

Clementine made a mental note. She shook hands with him, excited as to sit with him and get to know him better.

Nick was thinking the same too.


	3. Chapter 3

Clementine brought an apple to eat for recess as she didn't really want to be lost in the queue at the canteen on her first day. She needed time to be familiar with the school before she got confident enough to do things in the school by herself.

Nick escorted Clementine to the canteen, with Luke on his left. During the whole walk to the canteen, Nick and Clementine never stopped chatting and left Luke in an awkward position.

The canteen was rather empty as it was the third period of the day, the first break. Nick and Clementine sat across each other, and Luke decided to excuse himself from the table. Moments later, Sarah, Rebecca and Alvin arrived. Upon seeing Clementine, a new member of the group, they smiled as a sign of a warm welcome. Clementine grinned back at them, glad that the first day of school had been great so far.

To keep Clementine occupied, Nick decided to make her laugh and cracked a few puns.

"Are you a fruit?"

"Not this again..."

"Because honeydew you know how sweet you are?"

Clementine managed a loud laugh and her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink, shy as of what Nick said. They liked each other, and he could tell that by the looks of it, their friendship was going to last very long if he kept going on like this. She seemed cool, he seemed cool, they're both cool and they knew that in their bones.

The other members in the group did talk to her, and asked how she was. They were very accepting of Clementine, except for Rebecca who didn't like how she was in the middle of attention just because she was a sweet girl. Rebecca kept giving attitude and tried to stop her boyfriend, Alvin, from talking to Clementine. But it was rather difficult to since all of them already like Clementine, even though it was barely 20 minutes since they met her.  
During this whole period of interaction, the only person who was missing was Luke. Clementine was thinking about Luke. She wanted to be friends with him but it didn't look like he was interested. Out of curiosity, Clementine asked, "Nick... where's Luke?"

Nick looked up from eating his roasted turkey sandwich and said, "I don't know. Fuck. I didn't even realize he's gone. He said he's gone to the toilet." Clementine nodded, accepting the fact that Luke clearly wanted to avoid her.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a toilet stall, Luke chewed his fingernails with his lunch tray in his lap. He was hungry, and the toilet stank, but he was too shy to meet Clementine. He never met a girl as cute as her. Whenever he was near her, butterflies would flutter gently in his stomach. His mind is a fog of haze. He couldn't think. He stared at the bottle of orange juice on his tray, immediately thinking of a clementine. _Fuck, why does everything reminds me of her? She's just a girl that I haven't even talked to._ Luke stood up, and left the stall, proceeding to the lunch table. She's just another normal girl.

 _Right?_

Luke plopped himself beside Clementine, who was busy chattering to even realize his presence. She only did when Nick gave him a high-five. She muttered a 'hi', which Luke replied to by smiling. _Things will go well, relax._ He thought.

But the more Clementine and Nick talked, the more Luke got jealous. Using a fork, Luke poked his chocolate cake till the point it became smashed. He barely talked and only listened. He wished he was as open and friendly as Nick, and that Nick would shut up so that he could get a chance to talk to Clem. He didn't.

The recess bell rang. Sarah picked up her books and headed to the library while Rebecca and Alvin walked to French class together, leaving Luke, Nick and Clem by themselves. Nick and Clementine got up, and Luke dragged himself behind. He picked up his bottle of orange juice and drank everything in one shot.

"Hey, so, I didn't get the chance to bring you around school today, but um, you wanna come over and have some cookies? My mum baked them. We can Netflix and chill, man." Nick joked. Clementine was shocked by the fact he already decided to invite her over on the first day she met him. She felt a tint of happy, but remembered that Lee was taking her to the bookstore at the mall to get her textbooks for the school year.

"I would love to, but I can't today. Maybe next time?"

Nick was disappointed. He wanted to spend time with her and get to know her better, but it was alright. There was always a next time, like what she said.

Luke clenched his bottle. He wasn't only angry because he didn't get to talk to Clementine as he wanted, but Nick left him out and pretended like he never existed. He took a deep breath and walked to his next class with a heavy heart.

* * *

"Hey, sweet pea. How was school?" Lee asked Clementine as she entered the car and shut the door, collapsing into the front seat.

"Great. I made a friend, his name is Nick. I have amazing classmates, except this one guy."

Lee pursed his lips when he heard she made a friend. A boy. He didn't want Clementine to mix with boys at the time being, but if this Nick guy really made her happy, then it was okay.

"Any other friends you made?"

Clementine thought about Sarah. She did talk to her but she was relatively quiet. Sarah was reading a book the whole time which kept her occupied. Alvin was nice but because of Rebecca, she didn't get to know him deeper.

Luke... well, he was a different story. They hadn't even spoken a single word to each other. Not even make eye contact for more than 5 seconds. The only one she knew best was Nick. She never realized how much time she had spent with him today. They were table partners in class and he was her biology partner, too. Nick taught her how to shoot paper balls at Carver through a straw in class, told her simple classroom rules, and cracked lots of jokes. Yeah, he was definitely the closest to her. Currently.

Clementine shook her head.

* * *

Lee pulled over at the car park. He handed her his credit card, a hundred dollar bill and gift vouchers. "Now, Clem, I know I said to accompany you, but I gotta run some quick errands at work and I'll be back in an hour and a half. I'll meet you here at half past three, alright? Love you, sweet pea."

Clementine frowned, and said good bye to Lee. How was she going to survive at the mall alone? She felt insecure, and for once she wished Nick was beside her to keep her accompany. She planned to get her books, eat some food, buy new ice hockey equipment and get the hell out of there. There was no way she's staying there for an hour and a half. She can barely survive fifteen minutes of being alone at school, let alone at the crowded mall. She mustered her courage and hesitated for a bit, before entering the mall.

First, she headed to the bookstore to get her books. With the help of an assistant, she managed to get everything she needed in lesser than half an hour. Hell, the books were heavy and she was glad she had a back pack to stuff everything in. She pulled down her cap, attempting to hide her identity from everyone at the mall. She contemplated getting coffee or ice cream, or buying her ice hockey skates.

 _Maybe I should get the skates first, and then grab a coffee at Starbucks and just chill there till Lee comes. Yeah. Sounds good._

She paraded the mall, looking for the store before chancing into it. She took a while to look at the skates she wanted. Everything looked useful and she couldn't decide. The store owner, Mr David, recommended her a nice pair of Reebok 18k Pump Sr. ice hockey skates. After having a friendly conversation with him, she found out that he coached Middleton Secondary School's ice hockey team! Clementine felt relieved because he seemed really kind and nice, not like her douche-bag coach back in Macon, who clearly showed hatred to her. She thanked Mr David for his time, hoping to see him again during training. If she got in the team, anyway.

By 3 o'clock, Clem's back was aching and all she wanted to do was relax. She spotted an ice cream parlor at the corner of the mall which looked good, and though she wanted coffee, she made a beeline for it. She just wanted to put down her bag and rest for a bit on a comfortable cushion chair. Upon arriving, she was greeted by a waiter who brought her to sit at the back of the cafe. She looked through the menu. Everything looked good. She decided on a delicious vanilla ice cream sundae but when she spotted Rebecca with Alvin sitting across of her, she immediately lost her appetite. She encountered a menacing glare from her, and felt sick in the stomach, so she hefted her back pack over her shoulder and turned around, only to hit a buff guy holding a cup of hot latte. It sloshed all over Clementine's new skates, burning her skin. She screeched, swatting the water off her hands.

"Hey, you okay?"

"No..." Clementine said, looking up and realizing it was Luke.

 _Holy shit._ She had messed up in front of the dreamy guy. The one she wanted to be friends with.

* * *

 **A slightly longer chapter for you. I know I've only wrote about Click so far, but I assure you the next chapter will include Cluke! If you're feeling generous, do leave me a review. I've read all the reviews and it just motivates me to write more chapters! Thank you for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

Luke searched his bag for a napkin to wipe the coffee off Clementine, but he hadn't got any. Clementine was flushed because #1, her new white skates are stained and #2, she embarrassed herself in front of the guy she's got a tiny crush on. Holy shit, she's never realized she only wanted to be friends with him because of his looks. She walked off, pushing Luke out of the way when he grabbed her shoulders and stopped her.

"Hey, don't needa be mad. I'll treat you to a milkshake to make up for this little incident." Luke offered, when in reality he wanted to catch up with her and get to know her. It wasn't even his fault that this happened so there was absolutely no reason for him to make it up to her, but this was the only chance he had, considering the fact Nick keeps her all to himself. Luke held out his hand, inviting Clementine to sit where he placed his bag. Beneath her lips was a ghost smile: invisible. She couldn't stop herself from showing a dopey grin, so she pursed her lips, in every attempt to contain her excitement.

Luke plopped down on a chair, sitting across Clementine who was nervously chewing her nails. She seemed to have picked up the same habit as him. He chuckled, running down his chocolate brown hair with his fingers. He signaled a waiter to come over and ordered a vanilla milkshake and a new cup of latte. Once the waiter was gone, it was just Luke and Clementine, which meant awkward moments, until he broke the silence by asking, "So, you like Nick huh?"

 _Oh fuck. Stay calm._

"No, I don't, I just met him, dude."

"So you don't like him, not even as a friend?"

"No... I mean yeah, he's nice. Yeah, I do like him. As a friend."

Luke raised his eyebrow and smirked. He pointed his finger playfully at Clementine, "Anyone you got a crush on? I can tell you got your eyes on a particular someone."

Clementine's eyes meet Luke's brown eyes which gleamed beautifully under the light. She did have eyes for someone, particularly the guy sitting right in front of her. What could she say? And the only reason she liked him was because of his looks. That was a no-no. Personality mattered to her, and Luke was more of an eye-candy rather than a crush.

Before she could answer, the same waiter came back with Luke's order: a vanilla milkshake and a latte, but he gave them - Clementine to be precise - a free yogurt parfait. "This one, is for the beautiful young girl sitting here. Compliments from me. Enjoy." The waiter, Ben, winked at her, and hastily handed Luke his bill before walking away.

Luke clearly was jealous of Ben, as evident by his scowl. "Seems like you captured the shitbird's heart."

Clementine ignored his comment and began digging in her yogurt parfait. The caramelized almond nuts crunched in her mouth, bringing a sweetness that she had never tasted in a long time. The berries were so fresh and sweet, it left her wanting more. It was only her and her yogurt parfait in this small world. She wasn't thinking of anything else. Heaven on earth was proved possible. Her mind was wandering about in her yogurt parfait daydream when Luke tapped his fingers noisily on the table.

"You haven't answered my question."

"What?"

"Anyone you gotta crush on?"

 _Oh._

Clementine swallowed a spoonful of yogurt and gulped it all down. Her heart was pumping rapidly but she tried to remain calm. Just like how she did during the whole mess back in Macon. A simple question wasn't going to make her go down in flames. Pfft. How hurtful could it be to answer?

"Well yeah. Not really a crush. More of an eye candy. He seems cute."

Luke leaned against his chair and folded his arms, showing interest on the topic of... boys. "Oh really? Nick, isn't it? You two are like two peas in a pod."

"Nah." Clementine's cheeks turned into a rosy shade. Embarrassed or shy, we don't know. Yet.

"So you do like Nick. You're turning red, Clem. I can see it."

"Do not."

"Do."

"Not."

"Then who?"

"You."

There. She said it. Her vision became blurry. She could feel herself shutting her eyes every now and then. She covered her mouth, not because she was ashamed of what she just said, but because she was beginning to throw up in her mouth. Yogurt and milkshake didn't go well, she made a mental note. When Clementine couldn't hold it any longer, she puked, right on the table where everyone can see, before entering a dark maze.

* * *

"Clem?"

Clementine blinked her eyes open. She saw herself in her room, on her bed with Luke and Lee by her side. She shot up immediately, confused as to what had happened. Why was Luke here? She looked out of the window and realized it was night time, and in addition to, it was a school night. So why the hell was Luke here? He's supposed to be at home or wherever he's supposed to be. She didn't care, but her mind was in a blurry fog of haze to even think, and it hurt her mind thinking.

"Lee, why is Luke here?"

Lee pulled a blanket over to Clem, and stroked her face. "You passed out at the ice cream parlor. I was calling your phone then and Luke answered. Said you vomited. So I came over and we both hauled you over to the car. Luke wanted to wait till you woke up, so here is he." He leaned over and whispered, "You never told me 'bout this guy. I approve of him, Clem. Tell me more about him tomorrow. Good nigh, sweet pea, you need to rest." He kissed Clem good night, and then he turned to Luke and told him to scram before he kicked him out.

"Sir, I need to talk to Clem for a while if you don't mind." Luke quivered. Man, the big guy was already scaring him. What a warm welcome into Clem's family.

"I do mind as long as you don't hurry up. She's supposed to be asleep by 9, and it's now 10. I'll be waiting outside." Lee walked out and shut the door close, leaving Clementine and Luke alone in the room.

"Sorry 'bout just now, Luke. I didn't mean to. It came all of a sudden. Weren't you s'posed to be at Nick's?"

"Nah, man it's alright. Nick cancelled in the end. Said he had some errands to run. Figured some coffee would do me good. That's when I saw you."

Clementine grinned, grateful for the fact that Luke didn't care that she vomited right in front of his face on the first day she met him.

Luke chewed his nails and said, "You know the guy Ben. He wanted to take you home, said he knew you. But I knew it was bullshit. Caused a commotion. That's when Lee called. I didn't tell him the part about Ben, because the last thing I need is him being paranoid. He's protective of you, Clem. He cares. Man, the shitbird Ben could have been a sex predator. I saw it coming."

There was a long pause. Clementine got up and pulled Luke into an embrace. Luke wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She could have been raped. Or murdered. God, what would happen if Luke wasn't there to help her? She couldn't even bring herself to think of it. The image of her being molested and touched all over already disgusted her. Luke's arms were so comforting and protective. Just by this act, she knew she could count on Luke.

"Thank you." Clem pulled away. She didn't want the hug to end. She felt so secure in his arms. Something she's never felt in a long time.

"No problem." Luke said, standing up and getting ready to leave.

"Oh, and Clem..."

"Yeah?"

"You're cute. Like. In the morning, I saw you, I knew I had to be friends with you. But I was too shy. And here I am. God, you're just so cute. See you tomorrow." He left the room and said goodbye to Lee who was waiting outside her room door.

"I know what that smiles on your faces mean." Lee smirked, shutting the door and turning off the bedroom lights.

Clementine smiled, slowly falling into a deep slumber.

* * *

For the next couple of days, Luke was seen to be taking care of Clementine. He was comfortable around Clementine. He didn't stammer or blabber nonsense, which was a good thing because he could be more open with her. However, despite showing care for her, Nick just had to snatch her away from him. It seemed like no matter what he did, Nick would always be butting in.

 _I swear to Jesus, that kid is spending more time with Clem more than he spends time with me these days._ Luke thought, as he looked at Clem and Nick working together during biology lab. They were fooling around so much that they were even singled out by Mr Walter, their biology teacher, in class. Soon, the class began 'shipping' Click, and Luke couldn't help but feel jealous. Hadn't the class notice how protective he was of Clem? From the time she almost stepped on dog poop to the time she was being picked on by Carver for her small size. Clearly, the only thing that mattered was visible contact rather than mental care. But as long as Clem was feeling alright, it didn't matter.

The bell rang, signalling the end of school. Luke picked up his school bag and scooted over to Clem when he was stopped by Bonnie.

"Hey, love, you wanna come over to celebrate the end of hell week? It ain't a party but... there's gonna be booze and stuff."

Luke shrugged his shoulders. _Nope, I don't. Now fuck off._ He wanted to say. Instead, he brushed Bonnie off, "I'm not going. I have plans with Clementine." _I wish._ "So fuck off."

Bonnie chuckled and placed her hands on Luke's shoulders. "That city mouse? Nah, you ain't got anything with her. I invited Nick to come over. Said he wouldn't go unless Clem could come. I had to invite that stinkin' piece of shit over."

Luke scrunched his nose and pushed Bonie out of the way. He was as mad as a bull in a China shop. Why'd Clem go to a 'small party' with alcohol? Bonnie held the craziest parties, even if she said it was a small one. The last time he attended one, he almost had sex with Jane until Nick came.

He scanned the room for Nick and Clem, and finally spotted them already at the exit, chatting away. He immediately sprinted towards them and tugged her shoulders. "I need to _borrow_ Clem for a while." Luke said sarcastically, which Nick responded to by raising his eyebrows and leaning against the wall, folding his arms.

Luke held Clem's hand in a forceful manner and it hurt so much, but she knew he was trying to protect her. Or it was something important. Or he had to tell her nonsense. "Clem, you're going to Bonnie's party later? With Nick?"

Clem bit her lip and put her hands behind her back, like a little girl who just broke a vase. _Yes, I am. Problem?_ But she couldn't bring herself to say something like that to Luke, when she knew he genuinely cared.

"Yeah."

"Yeah? Yeah what? You gonna be drinkin'?"

"Yeah."

"NO, Clem. You can't trust Bonnie. Please. _Please."_ Luke's brown eyes were so... no words could describe them. He seemed really afraid. He didn't want Clem to repeat the same mistake he did. "Think about the shitbird Ben. He could be there, Clem. Words about Bonnie's parties get around town really fast."

Something in Clem snapped. He was right. She couldn't put herself out there as a prey. Alcohol was just another predator. Ben was another problem. She never realized how many perverts there were in the town.

Clementine smiled, "I won't go."

"Swear?" Luke held out his pinky finger.

"Gosh, Luke. You're really such a child, aren't you?"

"Pinky swear?"

Reluctantly, Clem wrapped her pinky around his, as an agreement that she won't go the party.

Unless something changed, of course.

* * *

Lee was out with Kenny and Katja and Carley at the pier, on one of Kenny's boats. Friday nights were nights Lee would go out to spend time with his friends and his girlfriend. Lee had also given Clem the permission to go out, but always be back before midnight. Usually, Clem would stay home and listen to music on blast. However, she kept thinking about the party. She had never been to a wild one. She would like to attend one and see how parties with alcohol 'run'. Nick was alright with Clem not going and although a little disappointed, he went ahead and attended the party.

Thoughts about Bonnie's party kept running through her mind. She checked her watch, it was only 7 at night. There was still plenty of time. But the more she thought, the more her promise with Luke kept replaying in her head. She wasn't the type to break promises, but hell, she really wanted to go to the party.

She laid back in her bed and drowned herself in her thoughts.

* * *

 **So I've read all your reviews and tried to make it all possible, be it negative or positive. In the next chapter, you readers have a choice to**

 **a) make Clem stay at home and invite Luke over.**

 **b) go to the party and meet Nick.**

 **Either way, both options will still result in Cluke. So leave a review on what you want to read about in the next chapter. Love you lots. ㈎9**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, so I was reading my reviews and some of them were too difficult for me to read. I didn't understand due to poor grammar. So I've removed them, but I didn't meant for it to come out that way. I just couldn't make sense of what the reviews meant, and I'm sorry. One more thing: I've checked out some of your stories too! And I've gotten some inspiration for me to continue my story! You guys write really good stories. Anyway, here is Chapter 5 for you. Enjoy!**

* * *

Clementine reached over and grabbed her phone. She logged onto Instagram and scrolled down her feed. A picture posted by Nate caught her attention. It was Nick getting wasted. _Woah, the party really got wild._ She thought. But something in the background disturbed her. She looked closely and realized it was Ben and Bonnie making out by the pool. She felt disgusted seeing it. How many people could they have possibly sleep with on that night? They were both scumbags destined for each other. She locked her phone, the image of Ben and Bonnie stuck in her head.

She was feeling lonely and craved for the company of Nick, but now he was at a stupid party, all drunk. He wouldn't even be sober enough to drive home. She thought of turning in early but it was no fun. She placed her book that she was reading aside, and took her headphones and put in on. She liked listening to music when she had nothing to do. She shut her eyes and let the music take over her, slowly falling into a deep slumber.

 _Memories, memories._

 _Everything you said to me, said to me_

 _Oh, but now you're just dead to me, dead to me_

 _Now you're just a memory_

* * *

From afar, Clementine spotted an animal and was immediately captivated by it. She beckoned Sandra to come over and check it out. "Do you see it? It's right there!"

At the same time, Sandra, Clementine's babysitter, received a phone call from Ed and Diana, Clem's parents. They were out in Savannah for a short vacation. It's been 4 days since they were away, and tomorrow morning they were returning home.

"Hold your horses, Clem! Sorry. There's something in the tree house and she wants me to get a video of it to show you guys." Sandra said.

"Look! By the door! It's peeking out." Clementine put her excitement into words, pointing at the door of the tree house.

"I... I think it's..." Sandra inspected it further and confirmed her assumptions when a head of a raccoon popped out from the door. "Yup! Got it. It's a raccoon."

Clementine could barely hold her excitement when the raccoon came out of the tree house. To her, it was cute and she wanted to stroke it. It seemed so fuzzy and it looked like it could be her next stuffed toy. She began climbing up to reach for the raccoon, when Sandra stopped her.

"Oh! No, no, no! Here, your mum wants to talk to you." She held the phone out for Clem, so that she could hear her mother more clearly.

Diana and Clementine talked about the baby raccoon in her tree house and being the cautious mother she was, she warned her daughter not to touch it, before Clementine brushed her away, saying that she got to go. She started to run off, when Diana called for her back. Then, Ed, Clem's dad, reminded her not to get his hat dirty, which she really wanted to wear for a long time. But he only lent it to her, which meant that it still belonged to him. She had been begging him to have the cap for the long time but he just wouldn't budge.

Ed and Diana said a few other words to Clementine, before putting the call to an end with an "I love you" and "I miss you".

The last words she heard from her parents were, "Don't worry, sweetie. We will be back in a few days."

It never happened, and the sound of screeching tyres and deafening screams, followed by a crash between 2 vehicles echoed in her head repeatedly.

* * *

"NO!" Clementine shouted, breaking into cold sweat. She immediately checked her surroundings and realized it was just a dream. A terrible one. She removed her headphones, which was still playing the same song. It was on repeat. _Darn this song._

Clementine didn't want to be reminded of her parents. She moved to Macon only because she wanted to start over. She wasn't going to let a nightmare ruin her night. She checked the clock on the wall. It was only 9 o'clock at night. Because she was desperate for company, she picked up her phone, fingers dancing around the keypad furiously.

"Hey, Luke, you up for a chat?"

On the other line, Luke put his phone between his shoulder and right ear so that it was held in place. He was preparing dinner for himself although it was rather late already. "When?"

"Now."

"Where?"

"My place."

"With?"

"Me."

"Alright, I think I can make it. My parents are away for the weekends. I was just about making some food."

"If you still decide to cook, please bring some over. I'm starving. See you later." Clementine put down her phone and got up from the bed. She figured she still had time to wash up. Luke might probably take about half an hour at this rate. Her tummy grumbled noisily. She had been in bed all day, till the extent she forgot to eat. If Luke decided not to get any food, then she might die of hunger. Which was exaggerating. But still. She dialed Pizza Hut's hotline and ordered 2 regular pizzas and 2 lasagnas. One for Luke, one for her. Now she hoped Luke wouldn't bring anything to eat, because if he did, then it was gonna be more than enough to feed 2 mouths and she didn't plan to waste any food.

* * *

Luke, on the other hand, was thinking of how to spice up the meal he made for Clementine. He was a great cook. He could always prepare a stunning dish for anyone. But he was afraid Clementine wouldn't like the food enough. He would go to any measures to impress her or make her happy. This time round, he couldn't think of anything to add a little wow to the dish. He sighed, packing the food in a container and hoped that it would stay hot AND delicious. He went to the garage, started the car and drove off to Clem's place.

Luke walked to the front entrance, rang the bell, and waited for Clem to answer the door patiently. He heard light footsteps approaching, and standing in front of him was Clementine. She was wearing loose pants and her ice hockey jersey. Her curly hair was tied up in a messy bun, and strands of hair would fall beautifully. She was an epitome of perfection, Luke noted. She didn't have to look pretty, she already was.

"Looks like you brought food... I ordered pizza though. Come in anyway." Clementine said, walking up the stairs, into her room. Luke shut the door and followed closely behind. Once he stepped into her room, he was greeted by a lovely fragrance of sweet flowers or something... he didn't know but it sure as hell smelled really good.

Clementine sat on her bed and opened the box of pizza beside her, thinking of what to do. They weren't just gonna sit there and roll around like teenagers. That would be boring. She wanted to do something exciting. An idea lit up.

"Luke! Do you know what's a blanket fort?" She said excitedly. Memories of her and Sandra hiding in the blanket forts and playing with Barbies flooded in her mind. Shaking the thoughts off, she grabbed fluffy blankets in her drawer before Luke could even answer.

"It is what it is, isn't it? A fort made of blankets." Luke watched her as she took 4 chairs from the guest room and shifted them in the middle of the room, forming a shape of a square. She put the blankets over the chair, pinning them to the top rails of the chairs with pegs. Then, she placed some heavy books on the seats to hold the blankets steady. She took a quilt and lay it on the floor along with some soft pillows. Clem took some shoe boxes to act as the door of the fort. She grabbed her laptop, the pizzas, 2 flashlights and Luke's food and entered the fort.

"Come on in. And turn off the lights." Clementine signaled to Luke, who made his way into the fort carefully after switching off the lights in order not to destroy it. She turned on her flashlight and he blocked the entrance with the shoe boxes and laid down on the quilt.

"Impressive fort. We need to come up with a name for it." Luke said, nodding his head as an approval of the blanket fort.

"Thanks. I was thinking of "The Royals". I can be the princess and you can be the prince. In this fort, only we rule, and only we matter. How does that sound?"

"Really good." Luke liked thinking of a world where nothing else mattered except him and Clementine.

* * *

"What do you like to study?" Clementine asked, taking a huge bite of a slice of Hawaiian pizza.

After an hour of watching Scream Queens on Netflix (which Luke didn't quite enjoy), they decided to play a game of 21 questions and get to know each other better since they hadn't been spending much time together lately.

"I don't like studying. But uh, I majored in art history. Basically the only thing I enjoy learning. Minored in agriculture. Keep the old man happy, ya know. Alright, your turn. What makes you happy?"

Clementine thought for a while. She didn't really know what made her happy. But right then, she felt happy. So one thing that made her happy was definitely Luke. And Nick too. She scooped a spoonful of Luke's dish - roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and raspberry jam - into her mouth. It tasted amazing, and she felt like she was in a food paradise.

"Honestly, you make me happy. Like, I've never had a guy friend like you back in Macon. They were all douche bags."

Luke smiled, knowing that he was significant in her life. _She hadn't even thought about Nick._

"Nick makes me happy too. So does my dog, Sam. And Lee. And my parents. They are all amazing."

Luke forced a grin. He wanted to be the only important friend to her. He was so eager to know what she thought of him and Nick and who was better, however that would be too blunt. He grew a liking towards Clem during the past few days but she didn't know. If only she knew what he felt. Then maybe he could give this jealousy a break. He popped a laffy-taffy into his mouth and began chewing furiously.

"What about you, Luke? What makes you happy?" Clementine said.

Now it was Luke's turn to think. Honestly, he was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. Nothing ever fazes him, not at the moment. The fact that Nick ditched him for Clem maybe infuriated him a little, but they still talked and hung out as per normal. Everything made him happy, basically.

"Anything and everything. Scoring a goal that saves the football team, friends, drawing portraits... I don't know. I like livin'."

"That's good. So you do have hope to continue living and striving on, no matter the situation. Not like me."

Luke was taken aback by the statement. He felt that Clem was opening up to him... about something. He didn't know she had a negative side. But then again, behind everyone's mask, was their real self.

"What do you mean?"

Clementine sighed. She didn't want to explain to Luke about what was bothering her, but sometimes we all just need a shoulder to lean on.

"My parents died. In a car accident. Couldn't sleep. Couldn't eat. I was somehow traumatized by the fact I am an orphan. Didn't know where to go. I thought of dying." She choked on the word. She couldn't believe she was telling someone she barely knew about her troubled past. But as she looked up into Luke's chocolate brown eyes that seemed so trustworthy and capable of storing her secrets, she couldn't resist going on.

"This man found me and took care of me. His name was Lee. He taught me to be strong. Even when I'm scared. Because he wanted me to live. I guess we grew closer, and I looked up to him as fatherly figure. Lee was my foster carer, until he decided to adopt me. I was only 11 then."

Clem felt tears running down her puffy cheeks and her face became hot and red. Luke, using his thumb, wiped off the droplets of tears on her face. She really needed to let out all the emotions she had been keeping inside of her, so she tried to find the words to continue but to no avail. She let the feels take over and broke down. Luke was in a state of despair. How was he going to comfort her? He didn't even know how to take care of Nick when he was feeling down.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're fine. Just look at me, okay? You're fine." Luke said, holding her shoulders.

Clementine looked up and couldn't stop a smile from spreading on her face. He was so dopey and dumb and stupid, he didn't even need to try. "You look like an idiot."

Luke chuckled, but he turned serious when his beam disappeared. "Listen, Clem. You can't let the past affect you and turn you into something against your wills. You're a **valuable** little girl. Well, you're 15, but you're still a little girl. And I know your family is gone, but Lee **loves** you, and he **will** take care of you. I can see it. He's a good dad. He protects you, Clem. It's a tough world out there without people you can trust. You're strong. I have faith in you. Okay?"

Clementine sat still. She kept quiet, unsure as of what to say. Should she deny, or agree? It seemed plausible, and maybe possible too. She just needed a sprinkle of hope, faith and love. Her mum would always tell her, "If you don't have hope, what's the point of living?" She knew she had hope. Lee, Nick, Luke, Sam and everyone else were hope. They gave her motivation to live. After a few awkward pauses, Luke decided to break the silence.

"I hate to break this to you, kid, but uh... I'm an expert at talking to girls who don't want to talk to me."

Clementine giggled, wiping off her tears. She felt so much better as compared to before. She liked knowing that there was someone who actually cared for her. And she liked how Luke still tried to crack up jokes even though they were terrible. But it made her happy, and that was all that mattered.

"I know."

* * *

 **This chapter is horribly written! I don't even know what I'm saying. If you realized, I have included a few quotes and sayings from the game into this story. *winks winks* How do you like the reference? This scene is actually meant to be something similar to when Clementine talks to Luke in the cabin while she was eating her oatmeal. I tried my best for it to relate. I know it's shitty but I'm just going slow and steady.**

 **In the next chapter, Sarah and Clementine will start to talk and Luke and Clem will become closer. But then, there's gonna be this one bitch who's gonna ruin it all. Hehe! Anyone wanna make a guess?**

 **Until then, leave a review if you're feeling generous! Thank you for reading.**

 **By the way, if you were wondering what was the song Clem was listening to, it is 'Memories -KSHMR and Bassjackers ft Sirah'**

 **Instagram: lukehsenpai**


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